Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-10

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

Write a letter to the local council. In your letter

• give details of how you and your friends or family use the centre
• explain why the sports and leisure centre is important for the local community
• describe the possible effects on local people if the centre closes

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I hope this finds you in good health. I wanted to express my concerns on the consideration of potential closure of sports and leisure centre here on south street.

I go there with my friends almost everyday. Availability of several activities, specially the swimming pool and the gym is something we all appreciate. Gym actually has an ambient environment and is very useful for many people in our community. It helps us stay fit and healthy. Similarly, the pool is a great place to relax and release stress after a cruddy day. Many people including myself frequently play badminton and other games every other day.

Closure of the centre would be terrible and very disappointing for all of us. Specially since we don't really have another similar facility in the vicinity. It would affect overall health of the community.

I would like to request to reconsider this decision and open to represent my community if you would like to organise a meeting.

Regards,

Saif

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The letter addresses all three requested points and maintains a clear, appropriate purpose: you describe visits with friends, mention the gym, swimming pool and badminton, explain the centre’s health and stress-relief benefits, and warn that closure would leave no similar facility nearby. These details make your opposition understandable and relevant. The effects of closure, however, are stated quite generally in “It would affect overall health of the community”; explaining who might be most affected or what alternatives they would lack would extend this point. Your offer to represent the community and attend a meeting is a useful, relevant closing request. To strengthen the response further, develop the community impact with one or two specific consequences rather than relying mainly on broad claims.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The letter has a clear progression: it introduces your concern, describes how you use the centre, explains its value, and ends with a request to the council. Paragraphing supports this sequence, and links such as “Similarly” help connect related examples. The reader can follow the argument without difficulty. Some transitions are less smooth: “Specially since” begins a sentence fragment, and the shift from the centre’s benefits to the general statement about community health is abrupt. The opening and closing also establish the letter format appropriately. For stronger cohesion, connect the reason there is no nearby alternative directly to the likely effects of closure, and use complete, linked sentences where ideas currently feel separated.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “availability,” “vicinity,” “closure,” and “release stress,” and the meaning remains clear throughout. There are also attempts at more specific description, such as “ambient environment,” though this is not a natural collocation in this context. “Cruddy day” is informal for a letter to a local council, while “specially” is not the appropriate word for the intended meaning of “particularly.” These choices show some willingness to use varied language, but occasional imprecision and register mismatch limit control. Aim for natural collocations and a consistently formal tone; for example, describe the gym as “well-equipped” or “welcoming,” and refer to a “difficult day” rather than a “cruddy day.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response includes a mix of simple and more developed sentence forms, and most ideas are understandable. For example, “Availability of several activities … is something we all appreciate” uses a longer structure, while the sentences about the pool and gym are generally clear. Some grammatical errors remain. In “on the consideration of potential closure,” the preposition and noun construction are awkward; “about the possible closure” would be clearer. “Specially since we don't really have another similar facility” is a dependent clause presented as a sentence, and “request to reconsider this decision and open to represent” has an incomplete grammatical pattern. Check articles and sentence completeness, and use a clear construction such as “I would like to ask you to reconsider the decision and would be willing to represent my community at a meeting.”

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